[Fot] What alternators are you using on a Spitfire?

[Ponostyle]

A 12V LA battery sits at 14.5 only when it’s been freshly charged with no load applied. As soon as electrons start being rearranged it drops to 12.9 and heads lower quickly. Race cars runniong total loss suffer from the low voltage of LA (lead acid) batteries under loads. Pertronics poops out, other stuff works marginally. The easy fix is a lithium battery. Not only are they much lighter, they also have a much flatter discharge curve and higher nominal voltage Li-ion is typically 14 V, Li
FePO4 (caled LiFe geneerally) is 12.8. They work extremely well, last a very long time, and are zero maintenance other than charging them. Other than in endurance races opr an time you need lights I think alternators in race cars are nothing but trouble, take horsepower to turn, have belts, and die at lousy times. Other than that they’re great.


> On May 20, 2025, at 3:35 AM, Rich Hahn via Fot <fot at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> Had the same thing happen to me at Put In Bay with my braided clutch line!!  At least I could stop!!
> 
> On Monday, May 19, 2025 at 10:24:19 PM EDT, Mark Bradakis via Fot <fot at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Back in the days of IVR running events at Wendover, I switched to a 
> single wire alternator in the Killer Spit.  I had to fab some brackets 
> to make it fit, but it worked well.  The first event I ran at Wendover 
> went very well, I was pleased.
> 
> The second event was a bit different.  First race I was doing fine, 
> getting passed bt the Mustangs and Corvettes and RX-7s as usual.  I came 
> to the hairpin before the main straight, hit the brakes and nothing 
> happened.  Well, it seemed the car doubled its speed when the brakes 
> failed.  I of course missed the hairpin entirely, and coasted along the 
> concrete for quite a ways.  Got back to the pits, popped the bonnet and 
> immediately saw the problem.  The single wire between the battery and 
> the alternator had come undone from the alternator.  The wire was tied 
> to the chassis with a nylon tie a foot or two from the alternator.  The 
> O ring on the end of the wire had limited range of movement.  What kept 
> it from shorting out on the chassis was the brake line to the left 
> front.  It bounced around.  Ever hear of EDM, electric discharge 
> machining?  Well, the wire was still attached to the battery on the 
> other end.  Every time the O ring bounced on the brake line, it sparked. 
>   And soon enough the sparks had eaten through the brake line, and all 
> the fluid drained out of the system.  No fluid, no brakes!
> 
> mjb.
> 
> 
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